Before I Go.....

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Hey Gang,

So here I am, all set to leave the country for 9 months. For those of you who i havn't talked to in awhile, here's a brief sum up of my life and what i'm doing:

I've finished 3 (out of 4) years of med school at Tufts in Boston. Its been pretty fun (sometimes), but at the end of the day, I still regret going strait from college to med school without taking a year off in between. So 3 years later, i'm making up for that mistake with a year abroad now.

I'll start out my trip with 1 month of Spanish language school in Xela, Guatemala. I speak some spanish, but i've got some buffing up to do before moving a long. At the end of September, I head to Estancia, El Salvador to volunteer at a rural health clinic. The population of Estancia is pretty marginalized from mainstream El Salvador due to economics and geography, and they've had a hard time plugging into the public health system there. My role will be working in a local clinic to help treat common/simple illnesses and to accompany patients with more serious diseases to their distant appointments in El Salvador's public health system. Beyond the medical work, I will live with the people of the community, learn about their lives, history, and struggles, and soak up all the rich culture that El Salvador and Campo living has to offer.

After 6 months in El Salvador, i've got 2 free months to travel. Right now my plans are entirely open, and that was the plan. I might check out South America, might visit some friends from past living in Panama, or might just spend the time learning how to surf. Whichever happens, one thing is for sure, only time will tell.

And 9 months later, after this brief but exciting trip is over, its back to the US to start 4th year of medical school, filling out applications, and finally get ready for that dark sounding time period called residency.

So I hope you all enjoy this. Please shoot me some emails, tell me what your up to and how your doing. i promise to write back with a personal one if you do.

Thats it, come back soon, and see ya in 2010!

Neal

PS: here are some pictures of what i've been up to the last few weeks before I go...

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Photos

4 dudes in a canoe
on the Saco River

Camel Hump in VT
on the way up

Camel Hump in VT
at the summit

Camel Hump in VT
on the way down

Hurricanes
Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans

Brass Band
street bands in new orleans

On the Banks of Mud
New Orleans on the muddy Mississippy

Comments

[Arjun]

um....
what about the part where you break your face?